Monday, 13 June 2022, 20:22 – Many parts of the interior of BC remain under flow advice or flood monitoring.
Six Mile residents north of Nelson, BC are being asked to prepare to leave their homes as the district’s Emergency Operations Center issued a community-wide evacuation alert. .
Chris Johnson, director of the EOC for the Central Kootenay Regional District, says a decade-old orphanage near a stream at Six Mile could be broken if water levels continue to rise, with rain forecasts abundant for southeastern BC Monday and Tuesday.
“Six Mile itself has a stream called Duhamel Creek,” Johnson told CBC News. “We are concerned about this [dike] deteriorating rapidly during high flows … frankly, the structure could break at any time as we enter higher flows, “Johnson told CBC News.
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An orphaned dam is so named because it is not owned or maintained by anyone.
While residents of the community are not yet required to evacuate, Johnson says they should be prepared to leave at any time.
“Know where you’re going. Maybe they’ll evacuate you while you’re at work,” Johnson said. “We expect up to 50 millimeters of rain in the next 24-48 hours. Make sure you have important documents, clothes … some people will not necessarily be able to return home.”
Coal Creek near Fernie, BC, June 10th. Roads around the creek were closed and a flood alert was issued for the area on Sunday due to heavy rains. (City of Fernie / Facebook)
Johnson says the district board has been looking to replace the six-decade-old orphan dam.
“We are waiting for the preliminary designs to be finalized to determine the potential costs associated with the project,” he said.
On Sunday, Environment Canada issued a rain warning for the Elk Valley east of Kootenay.
The forecaster said there could be between 50 and 80 mm of rain in the area on Tuesday morning and areas near Fernie are expected to receive the most rain. Rains could cause localized flooding, according to Environment Canada.
There are high flow warnings for the Upper Columbia and West Kootenay regions, with affected waterways such as the Elk, Kaslo, Bull and Kootenay rivers.
Another high-flow warning was issued for the South Thompson River and its tributaries, including the Seymour River, the Eagle River, the Adams River, and the Shuswap River.
‘SIGNIFICANT FLOWS’
The provincial river forecast center said rivers could rise to levels not seen in a decade, according to its current hydrological model, “indicating flood risks” on Monday and Tuesday, especially east of Kootenays .
“Given the uncertainty in the position of the weather pattern and the heavier rains,” the center said in a statement, “it is possible that the areas adjacent to West Kootenay and Upper Columbia will also experience significant flows.”
In response to the flood alert the center issued Saturday for the North Thompson River, including tributaries around Barriere and Clearwater, the Clearwater district activated its Level 1 Emergency Operations Center.